Review: The Cribs – For All My Sisters

The Cribs' sixth studio album is both brooding and melodic, covering an exciting spectrum of tone, pace and mood. Whilst often harking back to the music associated with the band, it makes some interesting deviations, too.

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For All My Sisters is the sixth studio album from Wakefield born sibling trio The Cribs, after the release of their singles collection, Payola, in 2013. The album marks a branch out from the band’s previous record label Wichita Recordings, and is the first of two new albums- the pure pop counterpart to the punk that has yet to come.

Ric Ocasek, bestknown for producing Weezer’s Blue Album and former Cars frontman, is the producer behind For All My Sisters. The Jarman brothers teasingly threw fans ‘An Ivory Hand’ in January this year, before the official release of the album on 23rd March. The first single set for official release from the album is ‘Burning for No One’ which provides a refreshingly softer and more melodic track in comparison to later bouts of typically-Cribs shouting in ‘Summer of Chances.’ It has a catchy guitar riff, and is in safe-keeping with the sound fans associated with the band.

This is not to say that The Cribs soporifically play it safe with this album. ‘Mr Wrong’ proceeds ‘Burning for No One’ and throws listeners into heavier guitars and punchier vocals that provide an exciting contrast to the previous track and ‘Summer of Chances’ further continues this theme, continuing the diversity of pace on For All My Sisters.

‘Simple Story’ is an interestingly slow track, softly nudging listeners midway through the album as if to tell them to listen carefully. According to Ryan Jarman, the song is about not being able to offer anyone what they want and being left with emptiness at the hands of that- creating a somewhat sad tone to the music. The next track ‘City Storms’ sees a more reassuring return to the classic sound of the band associated with the likes of ‘Men’s Needs.’

For All My Sisters ends with the epic seven minute long ‘Pink Show,’ the longest song The Cribs have ever written. It opens with an Arctic Monkeys-esque bar before plunging listeners into delicate guitar riffs accompanied by slow lyrics that make promises to “all my sisters” as per the album’s title. The track covers the full spectrum of the music of the album, from quick changes in pace to tone shifts between the soft opening and excitingly punchy chorus. The rest of the album acts as something of a prelude, working its way to the height of ‘Pink Show,’ but this serves to make the previous tracks slightly inferior by comparison. It is a brilliantly constructed track and provides a perfect end to the album.

A brooding and at times extremely melodic album that manages to evoke a somewhat sad tone in its lyrical construction without wholly dampening the mood. For All My Sisters is not a ground-breaking album, but it does provide interesting and enjoyable deviations from the band’s previous work.